Knowledge Base
Categories: Management
Local, Backup, and Remote Mail Exchanger
Email Routing controls where your incoming email messages are delivered. In most cases, Automatically Detect Configuration is the recommended setting because it automatically selects the correct mail route based on your domain's DNS records.
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Regardless of whether you're setting up your emails in cPanel or WHM, you'll find the following email delivery (email routing) methods:
- Local Mail Exchanger - Use this to point your emails to your HostGator server.
- Backup Mail Exchanger
- For Shared and Reseller: The Backup Mail Exchanger setting is incompatible with our shared servers; use Automatically Detect Configuration instead.
- For VPS and Dedicated: The Backup Mail Exchanger with a VPS or Dedicated Server requires the cPanel to be specifically configured to function, which may allow spam to bypass filters*, and that only includes limited support**.
- Remote Mail Exchanger - Use this to point your emails to a different email service or server.
Notes:
- *A Backup MX Exchanger without significant Exim reconfiguration or an external filtering service may allow it to be used as an unfiltered and whitelisted relay to deliver spam to your primary server.
- **We will set up a relay to use an external mail filtering service or Backup MX service and provide a quote for installing plugins for cPanel. However, we do not support relay whitelisting, secondary MX setups after configuration, or custom Exim configurations.
This article discusses the following topics:
How to set up email delivery method (email routing) in cPanel
To set up your email routing within cPanel:
- Log in to your Customer Portal.
- From the left-hand navigation menu, click Email & Office.
- Select cPanel Email from the available options.

- Click the cPanel Email dropdown menu and select Email Routing.

- Click your domain name from the dropdown menu.
- Select the correct email route.

- Click Change and test your email.
How to set up email delivery method (email routing) in WHM
To set up your email routing within WHM:
- Log in to WHM.
- Look for the Account Information section. The quickest way is by typing the keyword in the Search box on the left-side panel.
Alternatively, you can use the Search box at the top.

- Select List Accounts.

- Click on the cPanel icon beside the domain name you wish to update.

- In cPanel's Email section, click on Email Routing.

- Select the correct email route.

- Click Change to save your changes.
Related Articles
- How to set up your MX record - This article will guide you in updating your MX records if you want HostGator to host your emails.
- How do I change my website's MX record - This article provides instructions on updating your MX records if you wish to use a third-party email provider.
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